Lafayette, Louisville scholarship program turns 50

Fifty years ago, parents at what was then Lafayette High School started a college scholarship program by appealing to businesses, city groups and individuals.

Now, the program is still going strong, providing scholarships each year to Centaurus and Monarch high school graduates based on financial need, academics and leadership. About $450,000 awarded to more than 500 graduating seniors in the last 50 years.

“It would be hard to find any other local organization that has had the longevity that this organization has had in our community,” said Steve Sherman, the program chairman since 1993. “It's kept the attention of the community.”

He said the money for the scholarships comes from donations from businesses, local non-profits, community groups and individuals. One man from Louisville also left $10,000 to the fund when he died, while a local teacher left the equity from her rental house.

The scholarships once covered most of the cost of the first year of college tuition, but the rising cost of college means they're now covering books or a small portion of tuition.

In May, about $19,000 was awarded to 21 local graduates, in amounts ranging from $500 to $2,000. As a volunteer organization that receives in-kind donations for businesses, almost all of the monetary donations go directly to scholarships.

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Sherman said the goal now is not just to continue the program for another 50 years, but to grow it.

The hope is to continue giving about the same number of scholarships, but to increase the amount. As part of that effort, volunteers recently created a website for the organization and made plans to participate in Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 4.

Sherman said he's volunteered with the organization for so many years because it's a way to give back after using grants and scholarships himself to pay for college.

He said he likes that the scholarship is available to middle-class students, who may not have many options for financial aid. The committee that awards the scholarships also gives students who work to support their families credit, knowing that they may not have time for extensive after-school activities.

Jasjit Mangat, who graduated from Centaurus in May, received a $2,000 scholarship through the organization. She's attending the University of Colorado at Boulder with the help of several scholarships and is majoring in business marketing.

“Scholarships were really helpful for me,” she said. “I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to afford higher education without them. They were vital.”

For more information on the Centaurus/Monarch scholarship program, go here.

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